Philadelphia, PA vs Arlington, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $11,769, a 378% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Arlington, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 38-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Arlington, TX carries the lighter load at $594 per resident versus $1,069 for Philadelphia, PA. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082 per resident, while Arlington, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,352.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 16% of total revenue in Philadelphia, PA and 41% in Arlington, TX.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 378.1% more per capita than Arlington ($44,503/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $107 | $507 |
| Income Tax | $8 | $73 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,288 | $25,062 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,790 | $2,949 |
| Other | $4,029 | $3,897 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,505 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $7,082 | $160 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,215 | $149 |
| Public Welfare | $1,456 | $826 |
| Health | $229 | $219 |
| Hospitals | $4,048 | $152 |
| Parks & Recreation | $593 | $1,352 |
| Housing | $4,902 | $2,981 |
| Sewerage | $325 | $141 |
| Utilities | $4,222 | $1,385 |
| Interest on Debt | $3 | $0 |
| Other | $30,692 | $4,404 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.